Gautam Gambhir: I respect Rahul Dravid

Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir made clear on Saturday morning that he respects the legendary batsman Rahul Dravid and no harsh words were exchanged between them the previous night. During the game against Rajasthan, a verbal duel had ensued between Dravid and Gambhir when they interfered with an ongoing altercation between Watson and Bisla.

In the fifth over of Kolkata innings, Manvindra Bisla and Shane Watson started a verbal duel when the latter threatened to throw a ball back the batsman. Dravid tried to calm down Bisla but the batsman wanted him to cool off Watson first. Gambhir who was batting at the other end, also joined the heated discussion.

In the next over, when Gambhir was stumped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Yagnik off Watson's bowling, the hot-headed opener again exchanged some words with Dravid before walking off.

However, Gambhir early this morning denied any such altercation and expressed respect for the veteran on his twitter page. "Guys, you have got it all wrong. No harsh words exchanged between me and Rahul bhai. He was and will always be a respected teammate. No fuss please," he wrote.

He also ridiculed the way last night's incident is being circulated. "Guess we are always obsessed with some drama or spice. Sorry none existed between me and Rahul. I will always respect him," read his second tweet.

This is the second time time that Gambhir is involved in such a verbal fight. Earlier in the tournament, he and Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli were involved in an ugly on-field spat.